Week 70: Yummy Chicken Tenders

I was proud of Abby for looking one of her fears in the face this week: RAW CHICKEN! She really showed it who was boss. One of my favorite things about this recipe was the fact that it was dipped in mustard before it was "breaded." That really gave it some great flavor! This was a great alternative to the stuff you can buy at restaurants or even the grocery store, when you don't quite know the quality of the chicken you are eating. We knew exactly what we were eating!

You will notice that the original recipe calls for you to bake the chicken, but we didn't want to wait that long, so we pan-fried it for a couple minutes on each side before baking to reduce cook time. This added some extra oil to the chicken, plus it was a difficult to keep the "breading" on, but was still yummy!

Year of Yum Rating: 4 STARS

INGREDIENTS (Exactly how we made it...thanks, Abby. You're funny.)
1.37 lbs of chicken, cut into strips
a little jar of brown mustard
4 c crushed corn flakes...this is dangerous if done by hand!:)
2 TBSP olive oil
salt & pepper
400 degree oven

DIRECTIONS
1. Toss chicken with mustard to coat.

2. In another bowl, mix cereal, oil, and salt & pepper.

3. Coat mustard chicken with cereal mixture.

4. Put in oven in a casserole dish. Bake for 45-50 minutes.

5. Time saver: fry 1 min. each side, then but in baking dish for 20 minutes



It was a cold evening, so Abs and I got cozy with some hot green tea.

Week 68: Grilled Fontina, Mushroom, and Sage Sandwiches

Good news: I haven't dropped off the face of the Earth.

Bad news: A few of our recipes have gotten forgotten in all the craziness that's been going on.

Can I make it up to you with a WHOLE LOT OF MUSHROOMS? Let's hope so, because that's what you're about to get...

Year of Yum Rating: 4 STARS

This was really delicious. Unfortunately I didn't really feel like eating at the time, so I may not have given this yummy sandwich a very fair shot. I should probably try making it again soon. Just to be fair...

INGREDIENTS
3 Tablespoons butter (2 melted)
1/2 pounds mushrooms (cut into thin slices)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
4 teaspoons chopped fresh sage (or 1 1/4 teaspoons dried sage)
8 slices bread
1/2 pounds fontina (this cheese was HEAVEN in my mouth)

DIRECTIONS
1) In a large nonstick frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter over moderate heat. Add the mushrooms, salt, pepper, and dried sage, if using, and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the fresh sage, if using. Put the mushrooms in a bowl and wipe out the pan.

2) Using a pastry brush, coat one side of 4 slices of the bread with half of the melted butter. Put them, buttered-side down, on a work surface. Top the bread with the cheese and then the mushrooms. Cover with the remaining 4 slices of bread; brush the tops with the remaining melted butter.

3) Heat the frying pan over moderately low heat. Add the sandwiches and cook, turning once, until golden, about 2 minutes per side.



This recipe even came with a wine recommendation! How fancy! Try a crisp, dry, Italian white, such as Soave, Frascati, or pinot grigio to refresh your mouth after every bite of this flavorful sandwich.